Overview
- McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski’s Feb. 3 Instagram video drew ridicule for a tiny first bite and calling the Big Arch a “product,” after comedians and influencers amplified the clip.
- The Big Arch debuted in participating U.S. restaurants on March 3, and McDonald’s leaned into the meme with a corporate post reading, “Take a bite of our new product.”
- Burger King posted president Tom Curtis taking a conspicuously big Whopper bite, though the company told NBC News the video “was not created in reaction to anything.”
- Wendy’s U.S. president Pete Suerken and A&W’s Allen Lulu shared their own taste tests, with A&W parodying the format and language of the original McDonald’s clip.
- Marketing commentators say the viral moment likely boosted awareness of the new burger, but any concrete sales impact in the U.S. has not been reported.